By now, we’ve all sort of processed the fact that commercial, synthetic brands put a whole lot of rubbish in their makeup that can be detrimental to our skin health.

Some people choose to put up with their foundation breaking them out or their toxin-laden mascara flaking off into their eyes (ouch!) and that’s entirely up to them, but one thing we’re begging you to re-think is your lipstick.

Lipsticks are especially important because we tend to either absorb them through our skin, or straight-out swallow them. You really can’t skip out on getting a safe lipstick, and mainstream brands are anything but. You’d be hard pressed to find a synthetic lipstick that doesn’t contain dangerous toxic metals like lead, chromium and even in some cases mercury.

All of that plays havoc with your body and brain, so you’ll want to cut that out ASAP. By contrast, most natural lipsticks actually contain vital nutrients and minerals, often used to give natural, long-lasting moisture. Because it’s totally safe, you can lather it on to your heart’s content without your lips taking a temper tantrum. Especially if you have sensitive lips, synthetic brands are just not for you.

So, now that we’ve badgered you a little bit, where exactly do you start with natural lipsticks? How do you tell the naff from the brilliant? Well, dear reader, that’s where we come in. Get yourself a sandwich or something, because we’re taking you through twelve different natural lipsticks. Don’t say we never did anything for you.

ILIA Lip Conditioner

ILIA’s lip conditioners find a happy medium between matte and shimmer that we think meshes really well. If you’re not quite pulling out all the stops for a night on the town but still want to dazzle a bit, this range is the way to go. Shades in this line range from muted nudes to sultry deep reds and a very bright pink. Their Neon Angel shade is definitely one to save for a special occasion, and to wear with caution – lest you blind your dinner date.

As for staying power, it’s not as great as a lot of other natural brands. If you’re going for the long haul, you’ll definitely have to reapply a few times throughout the day, so keep a stick handy if you decide to go for these. It contains a number of different moisturizing oils, so unless your lips are seriously parched and cracked, it should keep them hydrated as you go about your business.

The formula is completely natural, made up of around 85% certified organic ingredients (the rest are all natural, of course). Because most of the ingredients are plant-based, this line is safe for vegans. Finally, a vegan lipstick 🙂

Axiology Lipstick

Axiology’s completely vegan lipstick range comes in 15 dramatically different shades. Seriously, they’ve packed the whole rainbow into there and then some. They’re absolutely perfect for making a bold statement, so don’t go for a night out without one on hand.

The staying power on these is fantastic. It feels like there’s nothing this pigment can’t weather- from messy meals to a wall of glass, the color holds its ground. Thanks to the incredibly lightweight formula, made almost completely of naturally occurring oils, it won’t irritate the skin. Our only quarrel with it is the consistency; it feels a little bit too creamy to sit right as a lipstick. With that kind of consistency, you’d expect it to scrape off at the first sign of trouble- that’s why its staying power is such a nice surprise.

Axiology are somewhat of a plucky underdog in the natural beauty world, but they’ve already started off on the right track by donating 6% of all their profits to helping with Orangutan conservation efforts. as for their ingredients – we love ’em. As you can see, their range of natural and mostly organic lipstick is composed of clean and simple ingredients, making them perfect for sensitive lips.

Vapour Organic Beauty Lipstick

Vapour offers a fantastic variety of 19 shades across their Organic Beauty Siren lipstick range. No matter what your skin type is, you’re bound to find something here that will suit you. The pigment is great, but it’s not too showy so you won’t feel like you’re being silently judged by old people as you walk past. Its consistency is quite creamy, which feels a little weird, but it still has great staying power so we’ll let it slide for now. It has a vaguely sweet scent, but nothing you’ll really notice unless you think about it too much.

This lipstick is chock full of antioxidant-rich ingredients as well as natural moisturizers so it can help to revive dry, chapped lips whilst offering skin the protection it needs from things like free radicals. Vapour is very transparent about the fact that it’s only 70% organic, but the rest of it is basically just natural colorants so we’ll let them off. Because it contains beeswax, this is another line that vegans will have to skip out on.

Nudus Lip Euphoria

Nudus is an up-and-coming natural beauty brand from Australia that just screams DIY. Their Lip Euphoria has 10 shades- all hand-made, of course- that are highly pigmented and surprisingly comprehensive. They’re more designed to mimic the natural color of your skin than make your lips stand out. It’s precisely this quality that makes it fantastic for creating a truly natural, everyday look that everyone around you will notice- but they won’t be able to put their finger on it.

The formula is definitely worthy of a geek out. This line does more than any other brand we’ve seen when it comes to using lipstick to heal. From your lipstick alone, you’re getting vitamins A-E and a shedload of antioxidants which help to moisturize, protect, revitalize, replenish along with tons of additional skin benefits. We’d jump at the chance to get that kind of nourishment in an intensive skin care therapy, never mind a lipstick!

Real Purity

Family owned and operated for four generations, Real Purity were one of the forerunners of natural beauty back in the day, so their lipsticks are backed by two decades of experience.

The whole range consists of a whopping 28 shades, so you can play around to your heart’s content. And a huge extra perk – especially as it relates to buying lipstick shades online – is that you can get sample sizes of each shade for $1.50, allowing you to try them all out to your heart’s content before making a $15 commitment.

Their natural lipsticks also have great staying power and will last you for most of the day so you don’t have to worry about re-application and the pigments are simply beautiful. They’re exceptionally natural-looking and don’t stick out, so they’re perfect for wearing around the office or during a quiet afternoon with friends. Right now most of the shades aren’t vegan friendly, but they’re definitely working on fixing that. Right now, vegans can get this lipstick in Grape Sherbert and Bronze Cloud.

Jane Iredale Pure Moist Lipstick

As the name so frankly puts it, Jane Iredale’s Pure Moist Lipstick is a range designed to moisturize and hydrate the lips. They have 24 shades available, and they’re all really beautiful but you get the sense that somewhere along the way, they ran out of ideas. You’ll find a darling arrangement of baby pinks and muted nudes, but the pigments are quite alike.

The consistency is creamy, which we’ll excuse in this case since it’s a by-and-large matte range and staining matte sticks just aren’t any fun for anyone – especially those with dry lips. Jane Iredale have done quite a bit to make this lipstick hydrating, but just to be safe you’re going to want to use a lip balm underneath it if you know you have dry lips.

The formula is loaded with a bunch of super-goodies, including green tea, coffee and aloe vera for extra antioxidant power. Aside from a few questionable colorants and inorganic compounds, this lipstick is pretty much 100% natural – not to mention its cruelty free, gluten free and safe for vegans. That’s our checklist filled!

Alima Pure Velvet Lipstick

Alima’s faintly vanilla scented Pure Velvet range comes in 6 shades, from a rosy nude to a deep raspberry color. Depending on what shade you buy, you’ll get a varying amount of shimmer. For instance, Lucy is a straight-up matte classic red but Georgia has a tiny bit extra room for sparkle. On the whole, though, this range is firmly on the matte side of things.

It slides on effortlessly and is actually pretty highly pigmented. It’s a stain-type stick, so the consistency is all there and it doesn’t feel too creamy. The addition of ingredients like jojoba oil and castor seed oil makes for a fantastic hydrating effect. It’s also buildable, so if the pigment isn’t suiting you as it is, you can always add more on top to get the color you want.

The recipe for this little gem is a bit heavy compared to other natural beauty brands, but since it’s completely free from irritants it’s still great for sensitive skin. A good chunk of the list is made up from natural ingredients designed to moisturize and nourish. It does contain carmine, though, so again, this isn’t one for vegans.

Lily Lolo Lipstick

Lily Lolo only has 10 shades to offer, but the range is surprisingly comprehensive and each shade takes on a life of its own. Most of them give off a fairly natural, no-fuss look but if you’re looking for something a bit bolder, you’re best to go for Romantic Rose. We’d suggest picking up a few and playing around to find what suits you.

This natural lipstick is a lovely sort of creamy and has good staying power, ‘though it won’t quite last you all day. But if you don’t mind taking a few quick re-application breaks throughout the day then you should be fine. It doesn’t have any irritants or toxins whatsoever, so it’s fairly gentle on the lips although it doesn’t do as much to replenish and heal as a lot of other lipstick brands do.

A quick note for those who do have sensitive skin, though; this is made with sheep fat, which is a common allergenic among those with skin conditions. That little factoid also means it’s unfortunately not vegan friendly. It is glute free lipstick, though.

Afterglow Lip Love Lipstick

Afterglow’s lip range has 15 shades that include all your standard baby pinks and classic reds, along with a bit of variety for the dark-skinned beauties out there. Nine of the shades are all shimmery, and the rest are either matte or sheer shades with no frills attached.

It’s one of the creamier types so it feels a little weird to put on at first, but the trade-off is that you’re getting fantastic moisture and an easy removal process to boot. But despite the fact that you can wipe it off as easy as you put it on, it has reasonably good staying power (no, we don’t know how that works either).

The choice to make these products not only 100% natural but completely gluten free was inspired by the founder’s mom and sister who struggled with a gluten intolerance. She realized how hard it was for them to find good makeup that suited their needs, so when she set out to start up a makeup brand she threw in a favor for them. It’s also safe for vegans, cruelty free and certified 100% organic, so a round of applause for Afterglow!

Lavera Lipstick

Lavera’s lipstick line has a pretty extensive range of shades so you can rest assured they’ve covered most of the skin tone bases – whether you’re seeking a classic ruby red or a more muted nude, you’ll find your color with them.

Their lipsticks definitely warrant some re-application if you’re spending a lot of time out and about- we’d put the staying power at around 6 hours- but it should hold up during work or if you’re just popping out for a bit. Thanks to some natural moisturizers included in the formula it’s also great at revitalizing dry, cracked lips and generally just giving your skin the hydration it needs.

The formula is mostly natural but this line is definitely more heavy-duty than a lot of other natural brands. It’s also not on Lavera’s vegan products list, so this is another one that vegans won’t be able to use. That being said, this is a gluten-free lipstick line so yay!

Zuzu Luxe Lipstick

ZuZu Luxe’s lightweight lipsticks have 25 shades that go from a sort of tangy, beige off-white to bright red. Their Chocolate Cherry shade is perfect for medium dark skin, and their Deep Red Wine shade is there for those who need to go a bit darker.

The creamy consistency hydrates without feeling too off, and you really don’t need much to get a bold, outstanding pigment. There’s been a bit of chatter about this lipstick containing retinyl palmitate thanks to a study published in 2010 claiming it as a carcinogenic, but we’ve recently found out that that report was built on a house of cards- there’s no real evidence to prove its wrongdoing, and since it’s a form of vitamin A our body actually produces it naturally without ill effect. Trust me, these ingredients are all good for you. It has one of the lighter formulas we’ve seen, just one shade away from practically wearing your garden. It’s also completely safe for vegans and a gluten free lipstick, to boot.

Studio 78 Paris Liquid Lipstick

Studio 78’s Paris Liquid Lipstick takes an alternate route with their shading, ditching the glossy pinks and ruby reds altogether for more earthy, deep tones. This is a line that suits pretty much every skin tone, which is an insanely rare commodity in the natural beauty world. If anything, they’re more suited towards dark skin, but there’s nothing to say people with fair skin can’t pull it off.

Application is seamless; it feels a bit creamy at first but as it dries, it feels more like a light coat of paint than a lipstick. It’s definitely an acquired taste, but that weight is what gives it such fantastic staying power. With a combination of different anti-oxidant rich, moisturizing and all-natural ingredients, this lipstick hydrates and protects as you go about your day. The formula is 100% natural, and 40% percent of it is sourced directly from organic farms.